The Duty of Vengeance
by Teddy R. Lupin
Summary: Jared Kelrian was only twelve years old when the Empire killed his family. He found refuge with Bail Organa...but after Organa was killed when the Death Star, he was lost. The Original Trilogy and beyond through the eyes of a grief-stricken teenage boy.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so I think this story's going to need an explanation. For one, I wasn't sure what characters to put it under, since there really aren't any, but it's not complete fiction because I didn't invent the galaxy, and it still all belongs to Lucas.

If you've read my story on fictionpress (there, I'm hockeyfighter), this one will sort of be like that. I'm explaining it first, but then I'll go back and describe with diologue and eveything in detail.

I wrote this because I got a request to write a Star Wars story, and though I usually write for the New Jedi Order, I just couldn't think of any more Anakin Solo stories at the moment. But if you want one of those, just ask, and I will TRY to think of one. Then again... "Do or do not. There is not try." Damn Yoda, don't contradict me!

* * *

Do you know what it feels like to be helpless? Do you know what it feels like to watch the world destroy itself, and there's nothing you can do about it? Do you know what it feels like to watch your friends die one after the other…and there's nothing you can do to save them, because by the time you realize they're gone…it's too late? And the worst part of it is…when you signed up…you knew the risks it involved?

There isn't much you can say to a battle-hardened X-Wing pilot such as myself. I've seen my friends, my cabinmates, the guys I trained with, get shot out of the sky one by one…fearing that I would be next.

My name is Jared Kelrian. I am a X-Wing pilot in Rogue Squadron and a Jedi Knight who witnessed the fall of the Empire at Endor and the Rise of the New Republic at Coruscant.

Now, I am around the age of thirty, and I hope to never have to build up the courage to go to battle again. I have a family of my own…one that I will do anything to take care of…to protect.

But in case I do have to, in case duty calls…I want people to know my story. How a mere child such as I was came to be part of the rebellion…and helped to ruin that which had ruined my life.

I grew up on Corellia, part of a prominent family that stood up against the Empire. And…well…I suppose you know what happened to people when they stood up to Darth Vader and his army of stormtroopers. They fought. My parents were both trained fighters-as senators and diplomats, death threats came on a weekly basis, and it was always wise to be prepared. I had been trained as well, though only a boy when it happened.

When I had woken up that morning…I knew that something was going to go horribly wrong. When I asked my older brother and sister if they felt the same, they told me to stop acting like such a child and be my age. I was twelve years old at the time, and expected to be a perfect gentleman. They told me it was my imagination and to go on with my day. So I pushed my feeling to the back of my brain and was about to head out to my classes when something resembling an earthquake shook the ground beneath my feet and knocked me over. That was strange. Corellia never had earthquakes. I ran back up the stairs of my home and up the large spiral staircase that led to the roof. And what I saw shocked me. There was a large, pointed ship in the center of our town square, and marching out of it were men in white body armor…and they were headed right at my house.

My heat pounding in my chest, I ran back down the stairs as fast as I could. I knew I had to warn my family, but I panicked. My eyes wide, I took my small blaster out of the holster that was attached to my pants. My hands were trembling as I raised it, hearing marching footsteps coming up the stairs. I swallowed and fixed my intense brown eyes on the door as they pounded it down. And I pulled the trigger. A burst of red light shot out of it and hit a stormtrooper squarely in the chest. Fifty or so more troopers looked at me, and just as they were going to fire, my father jumped in front of me. I saw him fried…trying to save my life. As they were distracted, I ran for it. I didn't look back, but as I heard more shots and screams of pain, I knew that my mother, my brother Jaske, and my sister Leah were dead…at the hands of the Empire.

Guided by my grief and newfound hatred, I jumped ship and headed to where there were rumors of a Rebellion forming.

As a twelve-year-old boy, it was difficult to find anyone who actually believed me. Everyone I came across thought the Emperor was some kind of god, or something. And I came to realize…for the first time in my life…I was alone. My parents were gone. My entire family had been destroyed…just because they stood up for their rights. I wanted revenge. But no one took me seriously. Until I met Bail Organa. A prominent senator from the planet Alderaan, Organa took me under his wing. As I explained what happened to me, he gave me an odd glance, something just short of pity. He took me off in his starship, to the jungle moon Yavin Four. He left me with two men called Williard and Dodonna, assuring me that I would be safe with them. And for a long time…I thought I was. I lost track of the days…and nights…captured in the bliss I had found.

Then the horrible news reached us. The Empire's greatest weapon, the Death Star, had tested its abilities on the planet Alderaan. I felt a terrible sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The commanders tried to tell me that Organa would have survived…that he was all right…but I wouldn't hear of it. Something had told me…just a sense…that he was gone.

Not long after that, a ship called the Millennium Falcon arrived at the moon, carrying the most beautiful girl I had ever seen…the daughter of Bail Organa, Princess Leia, a young man with light-colored hair, who I was told was called Luke Skywalker, and an older man who looked like a smuggler from my own planet. His name was Han Solo. With them were an astromech droid called Artoo-Detoo, a protocol droid called See-Threepio, and a Wookiee named Chewbacca. They said that they had the plans for the Death Star, the only way the Rebellion could ever hope to destroy it. The Death Star itself came soon after they did. And I'm not going to lie…it was the scariest thing. Since my parents' death…the Rebellion had been my only sense of strength left in the galaxy. But seeing them scurrying around like that…terrified me. I had no idea what was going to happen. None of us did. I knew I wanted to get up in one of those starfighters and blast my enemy out of the sky, but Dodonna told me I was too young and not trained well enough. And I knew it, which was what angered me the most. After the most terrifying thirty minutes of my life, it was suddenly over. Luke Skywalker, the farm boy from Tatooine, had blown up the Death Star. I was amazed. If he could…surely I could? When I got old enough?

But it still wasn't safe for us. We moved our base to the ice moon of Hoth about a year after our victory. Still only a boy, I was not allowed to command a snowspeeder, but they did allow me to train. I was handed off to General Rieekan, who was in charge of the Hoth force. We hadn't been there long before Darth Vader discovered our location. We began the evacuation immediately, and everyone got out, I heard later, right before Vader himself entered our secluded fortress. I had been evacuated on the first transport. I wasn't sure why…but…when Bail Organa had found me, I thought he was convinced that I was something special. Rieekan clearly shared his view. I wasn't able to fight…but I was worth something. That in itself was worth the world to a fourteen-year-old orphan like me.

We went mobile. Instead of settling on another planet, the Rebel Alliance fleet roamed the endless, cold, depths of space. The Empire was building another Death Star, rumored to be not yet operational. Mon Mothma, another leading member of the Alliance, told us that now was the time to act. With a stolen Imperial Shuttle, Captain Han Solo (who was, after all, from Corellia), Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and a few others would take it down to the forest moon of Endor to deactivate the shield that was surrounding the incomplete battle station. I wanted to go with them…but I had another job. As a young boy on Corellia, I had always been the best pilot. It was almost like I could tell what would happen before it actually did, and that's how I always avoided getting hit. After I told Mon Mothma this, she seemed to keep a particularly close eye on me, and I started being able to do more for the Alliance. And I don't think it had anything to do with me getting older. I was still only fifteen years old. So I was going out to fight as an X-Wing pilot.

The battle was huge. And the Death Star was operational. It blew up two of our transports, and inside, I could feel the fear of the people…for a second…and then everything was silenced. With surprisingly good aim, I took out a few TIE Fighters, and even took a shot at the Death Star, though I knew it wouldn't do any good. But I felt…something horrible. Something…something made of pure evil. The Emperor, who had ordered the death of all the Jedi in the galaxy, the same emperor who ordered the death of my parents, was aboard the Death Star. The Empire had destroyed everything I had ever known or cared about.

It was all over fairly quickly. General Lando Calrissian, flying the Millennium Falcon, and Captain Wedge Antilles (who I became very close friends with later) had successfully destroyed the Death Star…and the Emperor with it.

Everything was over. We, who had had precious little to celebrate for many years…had a celebration on the forest moon below while the news of the Emperor's death spread to planets such as Tatooine, Naboo, and even the heart of the Empire itself, Coruscant. I smiled, for the first time in years, down on the moon of Endor.

In the years following, I was discovered to have Force potential. Luke Skywalker, who was younger than he looked (less than eight years older than me), had been trained as a Jedi, and in turn, he would train others to do the same. I met my future wife, Jodi, at the formation of the New Republic Council. She is from the destroyed planet of Alderaan…one of the last survivors of a dead world. A fierce advocate for the destruction of the Empire, she has since given up her position, but I have learned to not argue with her, for I will always lose. Maybe that's why I fell in love with her in the first place. We were both in the same place…our families were dead. At the hands of the Empire. Since we could never get our families back…we decided to start our own. Our son, Valen, is three years of age.

Though a Jedi, I remained on Rogue Squadron, my honed senses an added bonus. Alongside Wedge Antilles, I formed an unbeatable team of X-Wing pilots to protect the galaxy.

We had all lost so much during the war, and every one of us was determined to make sure nothing happened like that again.

Every now and then, I'll look out at the industrialized sky of the city planet, Coruscant, and think of the greater good that my family fought for. I never knew why they died…I had always assumed that it was because my father had stood up against the Empire. And maybe it was. But with my Force potential…maybe it was for me. Now I'll never know.

But I know that I have a duty to vengeance…after all these years, I still have to perform the duty I owed my parents.

I'm running in the race against time. And it hasn't been easy. I don't assume it'll get any easier.

But I don't expect it to.

I never expected it to.

* * *

It didn't start out with Jared being a Jedi, but then I started talking about "sense" and stuff, and I realized that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea.

If you absolutely hated it, I understand, but I'd like to know what people think.

Press the little green button, you will.


	2. My Dream Foretells My Family's Fate

Hey! I don't know if anyone was reading this in the first place, but this chapter is for my one reviewer, **Reina Antilles**. I know it's been a LONG time, but it's been a while since I've posted anything.

This chapter is basically a short look into Jared's background, his family, and his relationships with others. In the chapter after this, things start to heat up almost immediately.

-STAR WARS-

**Previously in _The Duty of Vengeance_...**

_We had all lost so much during the war, and every one of us was determined to make sure nothing happened like that again. _

_Every now and then, I'll look out at the industrialized skyline of the city planet, Coruscant, and think of the greater good that my family fought for. I never knew why they died…I had always assumed that it was because my father had stood up against the Empire. And maybe it was. But with my Force potential…maybe it was for me. Now I'll never know._

_But I know that I have a duty to vengeance…after all these years, I still have to perform the duty I owed my parents. _

_I'm running in the race against time. And it hasn't been easy. I don't assume it'll get any easier. _

_But I don't expect it to._

_I never expected it to._

-STAR WARS-

**Corellia**

**1 BBY **

"Jared…are you all right?" my mother asked me one morning as we sat down for breakfast. I slightly looked up. I didn't feel all right.

"Yes, mother," I answered dutifully, staring blankly at the table. "I'm fine." She reached over to touch my cheek, and pulled her hand away almost immediately.

"You're freezing," she said gently. And I was. My entire body was damp with sweat, and I was exhausted. "Haven't you slept?"

"No," I answered quietly.

"The dreams again?" she asked. I nodded silently, looking down at my shoes, ashamed.

Ever since I was little, I've had dreams about things that no one knew. I'd had dreams about battles that hadn't happened yet…dreams about deaths that weren't to occur for years. But when I was twelve…we didn't know that. We thought I was a boy with nightmares…nothing more. I didn't know that the Force was with me.

If I had…I would've been killed as a child. If I had…none of this ever would have happened.

"Jared, maybe your father knows a doctor who can help you," Mother suggested. She meant well, but she didn't understand. I shook my head stubbornly.

"I've told you before," I responded patiently, "I'm not sick. I'm just…" But…if I wasn't sick…what was I? I wasn't crazy.

"Has my youngest brother been having visions again?" my seventeen-year-old brother, Jaske, asked me, ruffling my hair as he sat beside me at the table. I glared at him and stuck out my tongue.

"Boys!" Leah, who was Jaske's twin, frowned disapprovingly at me, sitting on my other side. "Jared, you must learn proper etiquette," she said, smoothing out her skirt. "It is expected of you."

"You expect too much," I muttered angrily, keeping my eyes focused on my plate, trying to block out the dream that I had had the previous night.

The thing that bothered me most about my visions…if that's what they were…was that they were never clear. Everything took place in a grey haze…and I could only make out the figures. I heard sounds…felt people grabbing my hands…felt the pain if a laser blast grazed my shoulder…but that's all it was. I couldn't see where the blaster had come from…I couldn't see why I was being shot at.

"_Jared!" I heard a voice (my father? Jaske?) call to me over the deafening noise of battle…that somehow seemed to be taking place in my home. "Get out of here! They want-" I turned around, only to see whoever called my name be cut down by the red laser blade that had haunted my dreams since I was young. The lightsaber of the total menace of the galaxy: Darth Vader. _

I'm sure he haunted the dreams of many…so why was it mine that always came true? Was it possible…that Jaske was right…and they weren't dreams at all, but visions? That possibility scared me almost more than Vader himself.

"_Jared, run!" This time, I was sure that it was my mother speaking. "While you still can!" I suppose I ran, because soon, I couldn't see anything…couldn't hear anything._

But my father's last words hung over me, still…and that was why I hadn't been able to sleep.

"_They want-"_ They…the Empire, I assumed…wanted something from us. But what was it? It didn't seem like they were just trying to kill us…they killed my family because they wanted something that we wouldn't give up.

And my dream was trying to warn me about it. But I hadn't the slightest idea what it was.

"Something bad is going to happen," I said, to no one in particular. Nobody looked up from his or her breakfast. I hadn't expected them to, mind you. They stopped listening to me when my last "bad feeling" had ended up with me laying facedown in the dirt on the swoop racetrack.

"You say that once a week, Jared," Jaske said, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, I'm usually right!" I defended. And I was. Most of the time it was little things…like who was going to win the race or something. (Needless to say, my brother's friends used me to gamble.) But…sometimes…I'd feel a sickening feeling in my chest, and then we'd read over the HoloNet that there had been a massacre somewhere in the Outer Rim, like over on Tatooine, or something. (I mean, we're on the Outer Rim, but…you get it, right?)

"Yeah…sure," he said, still as doubtful as ever. Leah nodded.

"Brother, you must stop pretending and attend to your studies," she reminded me, as she did daily. I groaned and slid off my chair, slinging a bag over my shoulder. I buttoned my white cotton shirt and tucked it into my brown pants that were marked with the red stripes on the side, as a remembrance of the Corellians who had died in the war. (Don't ask me which war-history was never my strong point.)

As I stepped outside, I felt an odd, swooping sensation in my stomach, and anger made my blood boil. I knew that something was going to happen. But no one ever listened to me. Why was it so hard to believe? The Empire was evil…and my family knew that. Was it really so hard to believe that they would kill us for…something that they wanted…that we wouldn't give them?

I ruffled my dark-colored hair that shone slightly in the sun. I grimaced as the sun hit my eyes. It was a nice day…but I would've almost preferred it to be raining and dark out. It would've fit my mood better.

"Leah's right, Jared," I muttered to myself. "I mustn't dwell on dreams."

"There isn't any harm in it, my son," a gentle voice told me…a voice that I knew as my father. I turned around and allowed him a slight smile.

"Father," I said, recognizing the relief in my voice. He grasped me by the shoulder and pulled me into a hug. I smiled gratefully and relaxed in his warm embrace. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" he asked, his eyebrows crinkling in confusion.

"I'm a burden on you, Father," I answered sadly. "And on Mother. I cannot be the son you wish for."

"I didn't wish for a son who followed the rules," he said with a laugh. "I would consider it unnatural if you did. Jared…there's something special about you." He mussed my hair, causing me to scowl, but then smile at his expression. "And…your dreams are just a small part of it. You have a gift that your brother and sister will never…will never have."

"Really?" I asked, my eyes wide and hopeful.

"Really," Father assured me. "I only hope that you will discover it someday." But it sounded more like he was speaking to himself more than me. "It's just not safe now."

"What do you mean?"

He forced a smile. "Nothing, Jared," he answered, forcing a smile. "Tell me…what happened in your dream?" I shut my eyes.

"The Empire wanted something," I recounted, my voice shaky and uneven. "Vader was here…I saw his laser sword. People died…I was dying…but…I wasn't." I opened my eyes. "Father, what's happening to me?"

"Nothing's happening to you, son," he replied, hugging me again. "Like I've always said…you're the most special person I've ever known. And one day…you will learn to use your gift…and you will save people, Jared. You need to trust me on that."

"Yes, Father," I answered, and when I was speaking to him…was the only time my answer was not bound by duty or politeness. That was the only time I actually meant what I said. "I trust you more than I trust life itself."

"That's a dangerous thing to say, son," Father said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Let us hope it will never come down to that." He ruffled my hair one last time…and walked back inside. I stared after him, a sinking feeling in my gut.

Why did I feel like that was the last time I would ever really talk to the father that I loved so much?

-STAR WARS-

Was it okay? I vaguely remember being his age, which is about 12, though I didn't have any older siblings to make fun of me. And I didn't have Force visions either.

If you're out there, reading, please let me know so I'll post more. If you didn't like it...still, please let me know! Maybe my writing will get better, I dunno. I'm full of surprises, haha.

Thanks for reading (hopefully)-

William D. J. Watson


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